Tuesday, February 22, 2011

What A Week!



Do you know those weeks where everything just goes smoothly? Nothing goes wrong? Rose petals fall from the sky? You float over puddles? You accidentally win the lottery?

I’m not having one of those weeks.

From a slight ding in my car to the fact that the colon key on my keyboard works only when it wants to I’ve already had enough. If you’re interested, the printer is also on strike and doesn’t recognize ink cartridges and the DVD burner doesn’t burn which means ANOTHER trip back to the computer doctor and that’s just the computer. There’s also been several other incidences including bleeding and it’s only Tuesday.

I want a do over (imagine a smiley face here, since colon key is currently in tantrum mode).

It's not all bad though because I'm also in the final week of Shirley Jump's Revisions Can Be Fun workshop and I can honestly say that I can see a difference in my writing. This course has changed the way I think as I write and THAT is what is making all the difference. Shirley uses examples of her own work and others to illustrate techniques, as well as critiquing homework assignments so you know that you haven’t missed the point completely. I’m really thrilled with the results and there’s still one week to go!

So, what is everyone else working on?

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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Lacey Devlin and the Sneaky Apostrophe



I’m a touch typer. This is, quite possibly, my only talent. However, it does lend itself to strange bursts of dyslexia where I type words backwards without realizing (go me!) and more recently, the addition of random apostrophes in words that should be plural. My plurals have ownership issues.

It’s not pretty.

I’m hoping there’s a pill for this. There is a pill right?

You would assume I’d pick up on it when I read the sentence through again but that’s not happening. So I’ve drawn the only conclusion I possibly can. The editing part of my brain has taken a holiday. If you see it could you please send it back?

On the romance front, Anne Gracie, Kelly Hunter, Barbara Hannay and Helene Young will conduct a one day seminar in North Queensland in May!!

Topics to be covered include:
- Not Another Sex Scene.. (Or how to write really great sex scenes that deepen character, plot and conflict).
- The vital importance of a good, strong premise World-building (no matter which sub-genre) and Subtext.
- Ways to ensure a strong and layered conflict
- Emotional punch and tension on every page
- Panel discussions … and much more …

So, go on, get your knickers in a twist and click here for more information.

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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

A Perfect Storm? Um... Pass.



My little part of the world has seen two cyclones cross the Queensland coast in the past week. The first was a category two, and a baby compared to category five, Cyclone Yasi. Category five is as big as you get but Yasi set new records for our country. As you can see from the image, not only was it a strong system but it was an unfathomable size as well, swallowing a huge chunk of Australia.


We were lucky. My little town didn’t suffer any major damage to infrastructure, but for other parts of country that luck ran out. Category fives can level houses, tear roofs apart and take lives. No lives were lost this time, but please spare a thought for those who no longer have a place to call home. The extent of the damage is so wide spread that it will take weeks to cover those houses that have had their roofs torn off and in the meantime the rain pours down on what is left.

This is even more heartbreaking in the wake of the Queensland floods.

The cyclone season doesn’t end until April but hopefully Mother Nature is planning to holiday in Tahiti for the next few months. Otherwise, I think we really need to start delegating our natural disasters. Who’s up for a cyclone experience? Anyone?

What’s really inspiring about this time in our lives is that people are pulling together and helping one another. Australians have travelled from all across the country to donate their time and expertise to rebuilding after the Queensland floods and I know the victims of Yasi won’t be forgotten.

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© 2013 Lacey Devlin

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